Self-Portrait at the Easel

by Sofonisba Anguissola (1532-1625)

About this artwork

One of the earliest self-portraits by a woman artist showing herself actively engaged in painting. Anguissola presents herself elegantly dressed and working on a devotional image of the Madonna and Child, demonstrating both her professional skill and appropriate feminine subject matter for the Renaissance period. The painting's sophisticated composition and confident execution established her reputation and helped secure her position as court painter to the Spanish monarchy. As a pioneering woman artist of the Renaissance, Anguissola created a model for subsequent generations of women artists through her numerous self-portraits that asserted professional identity.